Required instructional materials and equipment listed within this document are to be used in the delivery of the program. Supplemental or substitute materials must be approved through the process outlined in regulation 3005.3.

FCPS School Board policy 3201 requires teachers to seek permission from their principals or Instructional Services (IS) prior to deviating from this POS relative to curriculum content or state standards and goals. Before granting permission, principals may request the advice or assistance of appropriate Instructional Services subject specialists or the coordinator and also must obtain final approval of the assistant superintendent for Instructional Services.

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The Foreign Language Program of Studies document provides requirements and guidelines to enable educators, parents, students, and community members to work together to support the mission of the foreign language program. The content of the Foreign Language Program of Studies, like the Standards of Learning, is organized around seven essential strands of language development and application for students: Person-to-Person Communication; Listening and Reading for Understanding; Oral and Written Presentation; Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products; Making Connections through Language; Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons; and Communication across Communities. The two strands for Latin in lieu of the Person-to-Person strand are Reading for Understanding and Using Oral and Written Language for Understanding.

Additional organizing features of the Program of Studies are the themes and topics identified at each level. These themes and topics are designed to move students from the concrete and familiar surroundings in level 1 to more abstract and general contexts of the advanced levels. For example, in level 1 the Personal and Family Life theme focuses on such topics as Greetings and Introductions and Family Members as related to daily activities and familiar surroundings. In the advanced levels, the theme becomes progressively broader and more abstract, such as Civic Responsibilities with a topic such as Personal and Community Interaction. As language learners, students go through a process of increasing ability to use a language structure or vocabulary items correctly in performance. The Program of Studies allows students to continue spiraling or recycling through situations in which they are given opportunities to continue this development.

The components of the Foreign Language Program of Studies have been designed by teachers for practical integration into the Foreign Language program. It is meant to provide a general guide for programs with flexibility for meeting the needs of individual communities. Because of the emphasis on performance and communication, the gradual shift away from following any specific textbook will facilitate the implementation of the five overarching goals of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.

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The essence of human interaction is language and communication. The world that our students will encounter as adults will be vastly different from the one we know today. The rapid development of telecommunications will make the ability to communicate in more than one language a necessity for all future employees. Therefore, it is important to prepare our students for this multilingual environment by ensuring that they are able to function using the foreign language. During the learning process, they will derive the benefits of developing insight into their own language and culture as they learn to communicate with others. With the focus on performance in the language, students in Fairfax County Public Schools will exit our school system equipped with the skills, knowledge, and proficiency necessary to use the language in job, career, and higher education opportunities.

The Foreign Language Program of Studies identifies essential content, progression, and skills for each level of language learning in Fairfax County Public Schools. This program of studies has been designed to reflect not only the latest research in language learning but also the best practices of foreign language instruction that enhance language development. Aligned with the National Standards and the Virginia Standards of Learning for Foreign Languages, this document emphasizes real world communication. A key component of the FCPS foreign language program is the Performance Assessment for Language Students (PALS) program that measures the students' performance. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has established proficiency guidelines which help define linguistic performance levels of language learners. FCPS students begin at ACTFL Novice-Low level and strive throughout the foreign language program to reach Intermediate-Mid level or beyond. These designated performance levels, along with the program of studies, assist teachers in designing lessons, establishing long-range and short-range objectives, and guiding the students' learning process towards increasing levels of performance.

The primary goals of the foreign language program in Fairfax County Public Schools are to ensure that students:

• Communicate in languages other than English
  
• Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures
  
• Connect with other disciplines and acquire information
  
• Develop insight into the nature of language and culture
  
• Participate in multicultural communities at home and around the world
  

These goals include a comprehensive focus for instruction that takes language learners beyond the traditional confines of the classroom. In the foreign language curriculum, students will not only learn to communicate with native speakers of the language, but they will do so with the cultural knowledge necessary to interact in an appropriate way.

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